Family
by Hikari Shiroi Midori
Summary: With a rare quiet moment at hand, Alisha starts wondering what "family" means. Can Rose help her reach a conclussion? RoseAlisha! Set after the DLC!


**A/N:** Alright! So, this is a RoseAlisha one shot I wrote for Day 2 for RoseAlisha Week 2017 on tumblr xD And as the title implies, the theme was family xD I hope you guys enjoy it! And thanks in advance for reading! On an important side note: **Spoiler-Alert! This is set after the DLC of the game.** So if you haven´t cleared it or the game yet, you have been warned xD (Also, I suck at writing romance so consider yourselves warned in that regard, too...)

 **Family**

They were half way to Ladylake when the sun was beginning to set and they decided to set up camp at Falkwin Hillside, finding shelter by a group of trees. They hadn´t been on the road for long yet. Just this morning Rose had gone over some last minute changes in the contract she´d been discussing with a member of the Sparrowfeathers over in Marlind, and after some errands and detours, the group had set off, heading for the capital and the next point of order. Alisha sighed at the thought. It wasn´t like she was unhappy to return to her home town. Quite the opposite, actually. With their travels, and, subsequently, their responsibilities as Shepherd and Squire, she and Rose, as well as Lailah, Edna, Mikleo and Zaveid, had been more than busy these past couple of months. They´d been to a lot of towns and ruins in that time, and if it wasn´t quelling hellions and countering the still lurking malevolence, it was Rose´s business as guild leader or Alisha´s duties that kept them occupied. And one of them was the reason for her return to Ladylake today.

Being a Squire, a knight and a member of the royal family was not an easy amount of responsibility to shoulder for one person but she had managed. As a knight she was used to being on missions far away from home, while by trying to act as a peace maker it was necessary to travel a lot as well, so fullfilling her duties as a politician when she had time, it was not too hard to make them coincide with her role of Rose´s Squire. Alas, the reason for returning to Ladylake without even a proper day´s rest was connected to Alisha´s being part of the royal family. It wasn´t anything too big, simply that her attendance was required at a ceremony that was to be held at the palace. And no matter how distant her alligance to the throne, she was still of royal blood. At least in theory.

She might be of higher standing, speaking in ranks, than many that were part of running the Kingdom of Hyland but that did not mean that she was less frowned upon or belittled by them. This ceremony would be just another event the chancellors and politicians who took issue with her could use to make their point of how little they thought of her and how little they thought she´d achieve with her pushing for peace between Hyland and Rolance. But that didn´t matter. They had ridiculed her before and she was sure they would in the future, too. What mattered was that peace talks were actually progressing and there were results to show for it, as well. Thanks to Sorey´s and everyone´s help.

Trying to keep herself from falling asleep to the warmth and soft sawy of their camp fire in the winds, Alisha looked up at the fragment of night sky she could make out through the leaves, admiring the beauty of the few stars she could find on it. Usually she would feel a little calmer, pretending the tranquillity of the sky to be her own, but with the ceremony drawing nearer with every moment passed, it was hard not to feel unease in her chest. It was true that she thought it didn´t matter what the other´s attending made of her. Just another day of standing, smiling and socializing with other royalty, wearing a dress she was used to but not comfortable in, and trying to keep conflict at bay. She´d lived hundreds of those. That didn´t mean it made it any easier to bear sometimes.

She had talked to a lot of people at such functions and some of the more inconsiderate brought up the topic of her parents, her upbringing. Alisha had never been ashamed of it and while she thought nothing but fondly of her late parents, too well did she know others did not. They´d ask her of what it was like being raised by a commoner mother into the royal household, if she wasn´t miserable about being so far from claiming the throne as her own or whether she sometimes resented her father for choosing his wife so poorly. It was all just jibbering and jabs at her temper and nerves so that she would loose composure and on a lot of ocassions it was hard not to grant them that satisfcation. However, she´d kept calm– on the outside at least– and learned how to reply in a manner that would put a stop to the topic or direct the conversation another way, if nothing else. She loved her parents even if they weren´t there for her anymore and nothing would change that. Even if that didn´t make her feel less lonely sometimes.

Her heart grew heavy in her chest as a certain memory resurfaced. Now that she thought of it, the concept of family seemed a little strange to her. Her parents had died when she was still very young, yet she still knew what it was like to have them of course. However, after that she was passed on to caretkers and teachers who raised her in mannerism and academically but not in a way that she would grow attatched to them emotionally. Until Lady Maltran came. She had been made her instructor to teach her how to fight and to train, but, unlike before, Alisha had soon found herself looking forward to her lessons with her. At first, she was a poor student and Lady Maltran was a very strict teacher, but as time passed and Alisha´s determination and effort to improve grew day by day, Lady Maltran started to accept her and sometimes she would even hear a word of praise. Over the years, even if Lady Maltran might still have been her instructor, Alisha had started to adore and idolize her, as a teacher and as a person and although they were both knights first and foremost, Lady Maltran would always lend an ear to her if there was something on her mind. She´d become Alisha´s biggest support, someone she thought of and loved like a mother. Even if the older woman would not let herself be labled as such. "I´m too young to be your mother!", she would rebutt in that disapproving tone of hers that secretly made Alisha laugh at her master´s uncharacteristical display of vanity. It was a very dear memory to Alisha and yet never left unaccompanied by the sour taste in her mouth and the empty feel in her heart. Not ever since the way things ended.

She leant against the tree behind her, her gaze dropping back onto the camp fire. She watched the flames lick at the darkness arround them, small flakes flying away into the night sky. _Sometimes it would be nice if things were this easy_ , she thought. If all the pain and torment of the past could disappear like a spark.

"Alisha!"

She startled. Eyes darting to the voice´s origin next to her, Alisha found herself face to face with the other girl. She blinked a few times, beginning to regain focus. "Ah, Rose", she said.

"What ´Ah, Rose´? What´s up with you? I´ve been trying to talk to you for ages now, y´know?", the red haired girl scolded her, the expression on her face not looking any friendlier than her tone was.

Again, she blinked. "...You have?" All this time, their seraphim commarades had slumbered soundly and peacefully and since she and Rose had agreed that Alisha would take the first watch, Alisha had assumed her to be napping just the same. _I didn´t even notice she was awake._ "My apologies. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Alisha waited patiently for Rose´s reply, knowing it wouldn´t be too kindly worded. Not if the look of annoyance on her face was anything to go by. However, the longer she waited, the more she noticed how Rose´s expression started to change. Soon it wasn´t an angry one anymore. Her eyebrows were still drawn together but turned more upward and the courner of her mouth a little quirked. To her, she looked suspicious. "What´s up?", she asked.

"Eh?"

Rose still looked at her questioningly but her features softened just a bit as she said: "You´re making that face again."

"I am not making any faces", Alisha replied calmly, her voice levelled. And still it came out too soft to be convincing to either of them.

"Right", Rose stressed, looking her straight in the eyes. "So, what´s up?"

Alisha dropped her gaze again, avoiding to look at the other girl directly. She didn´t want to discuss things now and having to tell her that while withstanding that intent gaze boring into hers would not help her accomplish that. Quite the contrary. She would probably...

"It is nothing. I was simply a little in thought", she managed to say, looking to the side, her voice much firmer than before. Firm enough, she hoped.

She´d hoped in vain. Alisha knew, once Rose was hung up on something, be it simply – or mainly – for entertainment or for her job, she wasn´t the type to let up until she´d gone through with it. All the time they´d travelled together and everything they´d experienced, Alisha only knew too well how stubborn and unyielding she could be. And how painfully forward.

So this was an approache she did not expect.

Alisha had waited for her to ask again and again until she´d finally have enough of it and tell her eveything but instead, the red haired girl reached out and lay her bare hand over Alisha´s gloved one. Alisha startled at the sensation and the unexpected tender touch, staring down at their hands and then, unnoticingly, up into Rose´s gentle, blue eyes. There was still that urging look in them, the awareness that she knew something was troubling Alisha, but she adressed none of it. She merely returned Alisha´s stare and said nothing. It probably tore her insides apart, Alisha figured, yet she waited.

She closed her eyes. She sighed. _I guess I lose._ Opening her eyes again, she finally gave up. "I was just worrying about something."

"Well, yeah, I figured as much, but thanks", Rose bickered, earning herself a scolding look from Alisha. "...Sorry", she said, scratching the back of her head akwardly. When she´d regained her cool demeanour, she continued. "I know there´s been something troubling you for a while, you know. But with everything that´s going on, that was to be expected, no? But, just now, you..." Her voice died down at the last words and her face looked like she was conflicted about how to end her sentence. She looked away for a moment before deciding. "You looked sad."

Alisha looked down at her lap, hoping to not look too concerned anymore. "Sorry", she apologized again. "I was just thinking about a lot of things. Like the ceremony."

"Really, who needs those stiff and ritzy events anyway?", Rose whined, making a sour face at the idea. "That´s what I personally say, but as the leader of a merchant guilde, I say keep ´em coming, guys!"

"Your delicacy really is unrivaled", Alisha sighed. She gave a light laugh at her childlike demeanour. Although it was for a different reason, she felt better, thanks to her. "I do not exactly like to attend but they can be quite pleasant, too", she admitted. Then her face fell again. "But that´s not all I was thinking about." Before Alisha continued, she drew in a calming breath. "I... was wondering what ´family´ meant."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "What family means? Well, family is family, of course."

Simple as that. Sorey might have a weird naming sense, but he defintelly picked Rose´s true name accurately. "Rose is Rose, huh?", she mumbled to herself.

"So, what do you think family is?", Rose asked, not having heard Alisha´s words.

"Eh?" The question took Alisha by surprise.

"You´ve been thinking about it, right? Then you should have come to a conclusion", she said.

A conclusion...? She wondered. "I know what family is. Even if I didn´t have them for long, I had my parents. And typically, a family would be described as people who lived together and shared the same blood and home, so..." She thought for a moment before she shook her head. "No. Even if my master and I might not have been related by blood, she was still dear to me. She might have been strict with me, but I always thought of her as a mother. Yet–" Her voice broke.

There was a moment of silence in which Alisha didn´t know whether it was because Rose expected her to continue or if she just didn´t know how to respond. Either way, Alisha didn´t like it. She enjoyed a quite moment but ondragging silence made her feel even more alone.

"Family is not necessarily something you´re born into, if you ask me", Rose said, making Alisha look at her. The red haired girl was facing forward, looking into a distance. The orange light of the camp fire danced on her face, shadows playing on her usually so stern features. "Everyone in the Sparrowfeather´s not connected by blood either. But we´re still family."

"Family..."

"Like you and your master", Rose continued, raising her head. "I only met her a few times but when Sorey told me she was your teacher it kinda klicked for me. She was all grace and honor, a real knight with nobility for you. There was a lot I thought you two had in common. Like that stubborness", she said in an attempt to tease her, shooting Alisha a playfull grin. "So, maybe you weren´t related but so what? You were there for each other. And isn´t that what family´s about?"

She mulled over it, then laughed lightly. "How can you always make it sound so simple?"

"Because it is", Rose nodded, flashing her a bright grin. The kind of grin that always reassured her, the kind that made her heart flutter whenever she saw it. A squeeze on her hand brought her out of her thoughts again. She had been staring. And not noticed how close Rose had gotten to her in her daze.

"R-Rose?" The red haired girl had taken the opportunity to lean in closer, their shoulders bumping into each other, their faces barely a hairs breadth apart. Too close. That was simply too close.

Somewhere, in a far courner of her mind, Alisha was still aware that they were not alone and should probably try not to sit too close like this, but at that moment, all of those thoughts were meaningless to her. All she could do was listen to the pounding of her heart and look into Rose´s gentle, blue eyes.

Closing any gap between them, Rose lay her head on Alisha´s shoulder, cuddling into her without a care in the world. Her cheeks flushed red, looking down at Rose´s open, broad and content smile. The smile of the girl that had become so dear to her. The smile of the girl she loved.

"I know losing family is hard to take", she continued in a smaller voice. Then, with a much more content tone, she said: "But don´t forget that you´re not alone, princess."

Alisha froze. Bit by bit, her mind was flodded with the awareness of how hot her cheeks felt, the warmth of Rose´s body seeping into her own and the almost painfull urge to wrap her arms tightly around the other´s form. She didn´t know what to say. Her heart swelled with gratitude and affection as she couldn´t think of anything else to do but smile down at her in return. All this time, she´d been so caught up on what she´d lost that she almost forgot what she´d gained. She squeezed her hand again, resting her head on Rose´s. "You´re right", she finally answered, quietly but surely. Because two can make a family.


End file.
